Chapter 007: Each Plays Their Own Game

Wen Fu handed over three bank cards in succession, but all were declined.

Only then did she suddenly realize: that bastard Lu Chenyi must have, as usual, frozen her accounts.

All her cards were secondary cards under his name, and he liked to use money as a way of controlling her.

He had always looked down on her, believing she was useless except for spending money.

That once she left him, she wouldn’t be able to survive at all—completely incapable of living independently.

She was used to paying with cards, rarely with WeChat Pay.

Now, embarrassed, she forced a smile at the cashier, pulled out her phone, and opened WeChat—

Only to discover there were only a few dozen yuan left in it.

She remembered that last time she went out, she had forgotten her wallet, and directly used WeChat to spend over two hundred thousand yuan on a limited-edition Chanel bag.

Hurriedly, she closed the page and sent a WeChat message to Su Ying.

She begged her to quickly lend some money.

An emergency rescue.

Behind her, someone in line was already growing impatient.

Her cheeks flushed even redder; she had never felt this humiliated before.

She waited a long while, but Su Ying didn’t reply—probably busy at work and hadn’t checked her phone.

But in recent years, Wen Fu had revolved entirely around Lu Chenyi; he was her whole life. Gradually, she had lost all social connections.

The only person she still kept close was her best friend, Su Ying.

As she hesitated, unsure what to do—

A deep, clear male voice suddenly sounded from behind her:

“I’ll pay for her.”

A tall, broad-shouldered figure stepped forward and casually scanned his WeChat to settle the bill.

Wen Fu glanced at the man, flustered, and smiled awkwardly.

“Mr. Shi—what a coincidence. Thank you. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back.”

Shi Yanbai cast her a faint glance, his brows knitting slightly.

“No need.”

With that, he picked up his latte and walked leisurely toward a window seat.

Wen Fu hesitated, then also carried her things over and sat opposite him.

She bit her lip lightly, smiled politely, and said:

“Mr. Shi, why don’t you give me your WeChat? I’ll add you. When I have money, I’ll pay you back. I don’t like owing favors—especially not yours.”

Shi Yanbai’s gaze lingered on her for a while, unreadable. Then his lips curled with a faint, mocking hum.

“Didn’t expect Miss Wen to be so poor she can’t even afford a coffee. Can’t President Lu afford to support you?”

Wen Fu’s expression flickered with embarrassment. She deflected, voice soft:

“My card just happened to have some issues. Mr. Shi, would you mind letting me add your WeChat?”

Shi Yanbai paused briefly, then lifted his long, pale fingers to casually unlock his phone.

He brought up his QR code and held it out to her.

Wen Fu scanned it.

Once he accepted her request, she glanced at his profile.

It was simple.

The avatar was just a traditional landscape painting, and the username only a single character—“Shi.”

Like the man himself—cold, aloof, simple, detached.

Suddenly, his low, magnetic voice brushed past her ear, carrying a hint of amusement:

“I hear Miss Wen has moved into Tianyun Apartments on her own? Planning to live separately from President Lu?”

Wen Fu froze slightly, startled, then gave him a cool glance.

“Mr. Shi, you seem awfully interested in my private affairs.”

Shi Yanbai casually took out a cigarette and lighter.

He lit it slowly, took a few unhurried drags, the smoke curling upward.

His voice came lightly through the haze, half playful, half lazy:

“Of course. If he doesn’t step down, how can I take his place?”

Wen Fu figured the bastard was just teasing her for fun.

She ate a bite of mousse cake, her eyes glinting with irony.

“So this is what Mr. Shi likes—married women? Too bad I’m a respectable wife. I wouldn’t dare reach for a flower on a high mountain like you, and I certainly have no plans to cheat.”

Shi Yanbai chuckled, the mockery in his eyes growing stronger as his brows lifted.

“I know marriages like yours—alliances between business and politics—have no foundation of love.

Even if the lady is willing, most of the time the gentleman isn’t. In truth, both sides just use the title of marriage, while outside, each plays their own game.”

“Since President Lu can keep a mistress out there, must Miss Wen really remain loyal and untouched for him? Why not give him a green hat?”

He exhaled another smoke ring, his smile soft, almost springlike.

“If Miss Wen ever changes her mind and wants to stray, why not consider me first? I’d be a very competent lover.”

Wen Fu gave a cold snort and retorted mockingly:

“I’ve long heard Mr. Shi isn’t close to women. Who knows what your skills are like? If you’re just all show and no substance, how could you even qualify as a lover?”

A dark light rippled in Shi Yanbai’s deep eyes. The corner of his lips curled.

“Why don’t we try it someday and see for yourself how good I really am?”

At once, Wen Fu’s face flushed crimson. Overcome with heat, she shot up to her feet.

“Mr. Shi, I have something else to do. Excuse me. As for the coffee, don’t worry—I’ll repay you.”

She turned and fled in embarrassment.

This bastard looked like a decent gentleman on the outside, but was a beast in human skin.

She had only said those things to disgust him, but he turned out to be even filthier than she was.

After she left, his phone rang faintly. Shi Yanbai answered absentmindedly, his gaze still following the small, graceful figure retreating outside the window.

Her dark hair rippled in the wind, elegant and captivating.

In his black eyes, complex emotions flickered, mixed with obsession and determination—like a hunter fixated on his prey.

On the other end, Fu Yunci chuckled and teased:

“Yanbai, why’d you suddenly move into Xiyun Apartments instead of staying in your villa? Don’t you always complain you can’t sleep well?

Xiyun is in the busiest part of the city—traffic, crowds, endless noise. Doesn’t that bother you? Don’t tell me you’re hiding a mistress out there!”

Shi Yanbai slowly drew back his gaze, flicking the ash from his cigarette with elegant fingers.

He did indeed plan to keep a woman.

It was just that this one might be harder to capture.

He raised his eyebrows casually and said:

“Is there anything wrong with me?”